Carbide lamp



Nov. 17,1925. i 1,562,026 c, K. KovALcHlK CARBIDE LAMPv Filed April 1,5, 1925 Patented Nev. l?, i225.

UNI-TED STATE-s CHARLES KARL KovALoHIK, or BRADLEY, oHro.

CARBIDE LAMP.

Application led April 15, 1925. Serial No. 23,210.

ToaZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES K. KovAL- GHIK, a citizen of Austria-Hungary, residing at Bradley, in the county of Jeiferson and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carbide Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to miners carbide lamps and more particularly to certain novel improvements in the lamp structure whereby the employment of a threaded joint' between the water reservoir and the lamp bottom is dispensed with in favor of a' non-threaded joint presenting certain practical advantages over the threaded type of joint. y

With the above in view, the invention provides a novel form of clamp consisting of a locking ring on the water reservoir capable of expansion and contraction and adapted to be contracted about a retaining rim on the lamp bottom, thereby lenabling thev lamp parts to be readily connected or disconnected whenever desired and without any tendency of the lamp partsto bind or stick at the joint.

A. further object of the invention is to providesealing means foi-'making the joint gas-tight and in so arranging the sealing means on the bottom of the reservoir that it will always be correctly positioned for 'proper engagement with they retaining rim of the lamp bottom.

A still further object is to provide a carbide lamp in which the bottom of the water 'reservoir is formed with :a suitable pocket to receive packing and in providing novel means for holding the packing in place.

Other objects and advantages of the invention may be apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawing of the invention, whereinl i Figure 1 is a side elevation of a miners carbide lamp constructed in accordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is a side view of the lamp partly in elevation and partly in section to illustrate the interior construction thereof,

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the having the usual water chamber 11 provided Vwith a fillingV opening normally closed by the cap y12. At one end of thev body is a hook 13 for attaching the lamp to a miners cap and at the other end is a reflector 14;. rlhe water in chamber 11 is conducted to the lower part or carbide-container 15 of the lamp through a drip-pipe 16 having the usual valve means (not shown) operated by the valve-rod 17 for regulating and controlling the discharge. The gas generated in the carbide chamber 18 is conducted upwardly in the usual manner by a gas tube 19 leading to the burner 20 at the center of the reflector.

It has, heretofore, been the practice to connect the lamp body 10 and the lamp bottom 15 by screw-threaded engagement. Such a connection, however, `has many disadvantages, one of the most rcommon of which is the tendency of the threads to bind and lock the parts together so as to make them practically inseparable.V Such binding may result from the corroding of the threads from Vthe damp atmosphere of the mines or from tracted and the lamp bottom or carbide container 15 is provided with a retaining rim about which the said locking ring is adapted to be contracted for clamping and locking the top and bottom parts ofthe lamp securely together, means being vprovided for operating the locking ring to connect or releasev the lamp parts, as desired.

The locking ring may be formed of an annular metal band 2l encircling the body 11 adj aoent its lower end and secured thereto in any suitable manner. Integral with the band and depending below the lower end of the body is a circular series of ileXible gripping fingers 22, each of which terminates in an eye 23. These fingers are spaced laterally from each other so as to be freely movable without interference from one another when lexed inwardly and outwardly by the contraction and expansion of the wire loop 24. This wire loop extends completely around the locking ring, passing through the eye 23 of each finger 22 and having its free ends extending outwardly of the ring at a common point and terminating in relatively oppositely disposed hooks 25-25. A conventional type of clamp 26 is engaged with the hooks 2525 in the manner shown and operates to draw the ends of the loop together, for contracting the ring, when `pushed from a horizontal to a vertical position. Vhen the clamp extends horizontally,

ly below the bead, thus providing a securel and `firm connection. The metal band 2l and lingers 22 may be formed of some material which is merely iiexible, such as tin, and the wire loop 24 of spring wire. However, the entire locking ring may be made of resilient metal, if so desired.

The bottom .of body l0 has a recess or pocket 28 in which is placed a packing 29 of vfelt. This felt packing is retained in place yby a holder consisting of a disc 80 of such diameter as to snugly fit within pocket 28 andbeing suitably apertured to lit over the lower ends of the water tube 16 and gastube 19. The holder' is secured in position by two springs `251-31 fastened to the underside thereof on respectively opposite sides of the central aperture, as shown in -Fig. at, and so flexed as to normally press inwardly against the side of the water tube. Depending from the outer edge or rim of the pocket28 is a circular `flange 32. This iiange, in yconjunction ywith the metal band 2l, provides a channel adjacent the outer edge of the bottom of the ybody l0 and so positioned as to lie above the bead 27 of the container 15. `Within the channel thus Aformed is positioned a rubber gasket 33. Consequently, when the lamp parts are assembled, the gasket rests directly upon the bead 27 and thus seals the joint, thereby making the connection absolutely gas-tight.

F rom the foregoing it will be obvious that the format-ion of the pocket V28 and gasketreceiving channel in the bottom of the water reservoir l() enables the packing and gasket to be readily renewed whenever desired, and the provision of the locking ring enables the lamp bottom to be securely connected or disconnected to the water reservoir without danger of binding. By the mere manipulation of the clamp 26, the locking ring is readily adjusted to lock the parts together or to permit their prompt separation.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

l. In a carbide lamp, a water chamber having a plurality of flexible gripping fingers, a carbide-container having a retaining rim adapted to be engaged by the said gripping fingers, and means for contracting the said fingers about the said rim to securely lock the container to the said water chamber.

2. In a carbide lamp, a lamp body constituting a water reservoir, a plurality of flexible gripping iingers depending below the lower end of the said body and respectively terminating in an eye, a carbide-container having a retaining rim adapted to be engaged by the said gripping fingers, a spring loop encircling the said gripping lingers and being supported in the eye of each iinger, and means yfor expanding and contracting the said loop.

3. In a carbide lamp, a carbide chamber presenting a retaining bead, a water chamber above the carbide chamber, an annular metal lband encircling the said water chamber adjacent its lower end and suitably secured thereto,V said band having a plurality of integrally formed flexible gripping ngers depending below the lower end of the water chamber for engaging over the retaining bead of the said carbide chamber and being capable of contraction and expansion, and operating means associated with the said depending ingers for contracting the same into locking engagement with the said retaining bead.

In testimony whereoirl I aiix my signature.

CHARLES KARL KOVALCHIK. 

